Bloggers Nigerians unite for human rights

on May 15, 2008
Category: Immigration Europe, LGBTI, Human Rights, Nigeria

After spending three hours on Tuesday listening to some 30 African women asylum seekers testify about their treatment by the British government, many of whom had been imprisoned in Yarl’s Wood detention Center, I thought I would write a general piece built around their stories. However before I started I received an email from a Nigerian blogger, It Was So Much Easier When I Only Had One asking me and others to use tomorrow’s “Bloggers Unite for Human Rights” to write about the boycott of British Airways by Nigerians.

I am going to focus on the Brutish Airways issue, and thought to send out a quick message to a couple blog friends. If you plan on blogging, please feel free to blog about BA. You don’t have to bash anyone, if you don’t want to, but this could be a way to remind our elected officials that Nigerians want a government that will look out for our best interests. This ‘bloggers unite’ event could also be used as a measure to encourage all Nigerians to stand up for what is right, whatever that might be.

Whilst I completely support the boycott (and lets be clear it is not just British Airways who treat Nigerian passengers like garbage) a number of thoughts rushed through my mind in quick succession. Ahhhhh Nigerians are now talking about human rights! I really liked the idea of encouraging “Nigerians to stand up for what is right, whatever that might be”. So here are some rights which I believe all Nigerians will agree fit into the “whatever that might be”.

What about boycotting British Airways as the number one carrier of British deportees who have been imprisoned in inhuman conditions or whose homes are raided, who are refused permission to take any personal belongings and thrown on to planes like pieces of luggage.

What about the rights of lesbians gays, trans and bi-sexual? What about the rights of children not to be in domestic servitude some as young as 5 years old? How many of the those calling for human rights in the case of British Airways are actually thinking of those deportees, many of whom are women who have been trafficked to Britain and Europe. What about the rights of all those imprisoned in Yarls Wood for months on end in the most horrific conditions? How about we have a campaign against the homophobia of the Nigerian Anglican church and the right of LGBT Christians to be recognised and able to practice their religion freely like everyone else? I could go on but I think you get the point.

Whist we are boycotting Nigerian airways let us remember our Zimbabwean sisters and brothers who are facing similar problems with Lufthansa.

Tags:
Nigeria
LGBT
Human Rights + Nigeria
British Airways Boycott
Asylum Seekers
Great Britain

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7 Comments so far

1. Rethabile

May 15th, 2008 at 7:32 am

“I have known gay men and women all my life. I have seen the devastation that silence and living in denial can bring. I have also known gay men and women who are as loving, ornery, spiteful and caring as I am. Because you know what? Gay men and women are our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.”

2. Bloggers, unite for human rights « Sotho

May 15th, 2008 at 7:52 am

[…] http://www.blacklooks.org/2008/05/bloggers_nigerians_unite_for_human_rights.html Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Bloggers UniteBLOGGERS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS […]

3. Robert

May 15th, 2008 at 10:01 am

Sorry but here goes, yes I feel sorry for people put in jail, I feel sorry for immigrants who come here to earn £2,000 a week to find it’s a lie. I feel sorry for Burma I feel sorry for China, I feel sorry for Darfur, I feel sorry for everyone.

But being disabled I do not feel sorry for people who come here to stay without first checking. We are a small country we do have problems, I watched people hide on lorries get stopped and the police arrest the driver and allow the people to walk free. coming here to the UK has to be legal otherwise your going back.

I’m slowly getting sick that people like myself are seen in the UK as the scum of the country must work must not cheat cause fraud or work without telling the DWP, even when we are so disabled we cannot get out of bed, we are seen as well a problem, so asylum seekers will need to get use to it, and do not come here anymore.

4. Sokari

May 15th, 2008 at 6:48 pm

Robert @ please do not apologise for saying what you want to say! The connection with the way the government and some sections of the population view disabled people is an excellent one to make - it is easy to step on the most vulnerable people in the country and blame them for all the ills, for being benefit frauds, spongers and all the rest. But the reality is very different as you well know. You are not scum and neither are asylum seekers. We are all people and deserve to be treated with respect. Making AS the enemy is not going to make your life any better simply because even if there were no AS those same people would still behave in the same way. It is the government and their agencies and society at large who need to be challenged about your treatment.

5. Beauty

May 17th, 2008 at 10:01 am

Sokari, Did I ever tell you that you are my hero? The wind beneath the wings of the sufferers will only get stronger on common discuss and dialogue.

The root causes of immigration is not tackled and people are up in arms does not sound very kind but tough love may yet save us all in the diaspora.

Platitudes aside, your reply to Robert’s comments does show that you care enough to look deeper into the issues raised. The new type of informed citizens must not just talk the talk. Walking the walk also includes additional effort.

Beautys last blog post..Dimeji Bankole - HARDtalk interview

6. Sokari

May 18th, 2008 at 8:16 pm

beauty @ no you didn’t tell me i was your hero but i am happy that you have now done so - you are so sweet! A friend was telling me today about how in the 1970s in the UK you could get free bedding, towels even knickers if you could not afford to buy more than two pairs - bloody hell i am living in the wrong era - free knickers!